Kengo Kuma's Capella Kyoto Opens in Miyagawa-cho

Capella Kyoto, the luxury Singapore brand's first Japanese hotel, has opened in Kyoto's Miyagawa-cho district, designed by architect Kengo Kuma. The 89-room hotel occupies the site of a former elementary school and is part of a trio of Kuma-designed structures including a geisha theatre and community centre. The design draws from traditional machiya townhouses, featuring layered roofs, dark wood frames, bamboo lattices, and noren curtains by textile artist Mae Engelgeer. Interiors by Brewin Design Office incorporate sliding shoji screens, an inner garden, and works by local artists such as Kamisoe and calligrapher Daichiro Shinjo. Dining includes SoNoMa restaurant by SingleThread's Kyle and Katina Connaughton, helmed by chef Keita Tominaga, and Lanterne all-day restaurant. The hotel offers an Auriga Spa, onsen suites, and Capella Curates programmes like visits to Gion Naito, a century-old sandal maker. Kuma emphasized evoking 'the image of smallness, local materials, tiered roofs, hidden inner gardens.'